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SYSTEMS OF EQUATIONS
 An equation is an equality in which the unknown or unknowns may have one
particular value or values.
 An equality is a mathematical statement which shows that two expressions are
equal. e.g, e.t.c.
 A variable is a letter which may represent any number or a set of numbers usually
denoted by x, y, m, n, p, q, … etc.
 A linear equation is an equation whose graph is a straight line.
 The highest power of variables in a linear equation is 1.

Simultaneous equations
 Simultaneous equations are solved in pairs and they can be solved by using any of
the following methods:
(a) Elimination method
(b) Substitution method
(c) Graphical method
(d) Matrix method, etc.

Examples

Solve the following pairs of simultaneous equations by using both the elimination and
graphical methods.

(a)

(b)

(c)

By Mr Chinyama KJ 2 0 2 4 0971887395
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Task

Solve the following pairs of simultaneous equations by using both the elimination and
graphical methods.

(a)

(b)

(c)

Home work

1. Use any method to solve the following pairs of simultaneous equations.

(a)

(b)

2. The present age of Charles and Mercy are in the ratio 2 : 1. Fifteen years hence, their
ratio will be 7 : 5. Find their present ages.
3. A boat covers 12 km upstream and 40 km downstream in 8 hours. Also, it covers 16
km upstream and 32 km downstream in the same time. Find the speed of the boat in
still water and that of the stream.

By Mr Chinyama KJ 2 0 2 4 0971887395
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4. A farmer sold a goat and a cow for K14 800, thereby making a profit of 20% on the
goat and 10% on the cow. By selling them for K15 100, he would have made a profit
of 10% on the goat and 20% on the cow. Find the cost price of each.

5. A chemist has one solution containing 60% acid and a second one containing 20%
acid. How much of each should be used to make 20 litres of a 30% acid solution?

By Mr Chinyama KJ 2 0 2 4 0971887395
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Remember this!
In solving real-life problems, there are five steps that are typically followed:
Step 1: Read the problem and identify the unknown quantities.
Step 2: Choose variables to represent these quantities.
Step 3: Formulate the equations in terms of the variables to be determined.
Step 4: Solve the system of equations using any of the methods learnt earlier.
Step 5: Check the answer to make sure it makes sense.

Real-Life Applications of Simultaneous Linear Equations

Review Questions
1. If we increase the length by 2 units and the breadth by 2 units, then the area of the
rectangle is increased by 54 square units. Find the perimeter of the rectangle.
2. A mother said to her son, "The sum of our present ages is twice my age 12 years ago
and 9 years hence, the sum of our ages will be thrice my age 14 years ago." What is
her son's present age?
3. If the sum of ages of a father and his son is 65 and twice the difference of their ages
is 50, what is the age of the father?
4. 3 books and 2 pens cost K1 850. However, 5 books and 3 pens cost K2 850. Find the
total cost of one book and one pen.
5. If the cost of 3 chocolates and 2 cookies is K350 and that of 2 chocolates and 3
cookies is K425, what is the cost of cookies?
6. The difference between two numbers is 5 and the difference between their squares
is 65. Find the larger number.
7. Two numbers differ by 3 and their product is 54. Find the numbers.
8. The sum of two numbers is -30. One number is five times the other. Find the
numbers.
9. Paul invested a total of K50 000, some in a fixed deposit (FD) and the remainder
in bonds. The amount invested in bonds was K5 000 more than twice the amount
she put into the FD. How much did he invest in each?
10. David and Masamu owe K22 000 in loans for their two cars. The amount of
the loan for David's car is K2 000 less than twice the amount of the loan for
Masamu's car. How much is each car's loan?
11. The age of Monde's dad is 6 less than three times Monde's age. The sum of their ages
is 74. Find their ages.
12. Beenzu spent 30 minutes jogging and 10 minutes cycling and burned 400 calories.
The next day, Beenzu swapped times, doing 10 minutes of jogging and 30 minutes of

By Mr Chinyama KJ 2 0 2 4 0971887395
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cycling and burned the same number of calories. How many calories were burned
for each minute of jogging and how many for each minute of cycling?
13. The incomes of A and B are in the ratio 24 : 21 and their expenditures are in the
ratio 18 : 13. If each saves K3 000, find their income.
14. Kwenda is hanging a string of lights 20m long around the three sides of his
rectangular patio, which is adjacent to his house. The length of his patio is 4m longer
than twice its width. Find the length and width of the patio.

15. Sapna left the mall and drove back towards home, driving at a speed of 40km/hr.
Sunita left the mall for home 30 minutes later, and drove 50km/hr. How long did it
take Sunita to catch up to Sapna?
16. 1kg of sugar and 4kg of gram flour together cost K220. If the price of gram flour
increases by 50% and the price of sugar increases by 10%, the cost would be K266.
Find the original cost per kg of each.
17. Two angles are supplementary. The measure of the smaller angle is three times less
than 14 of the larger angle. Find the measures of both angles.
18. A bag contains 120 coins of 50 paise and 25 paise denominations. If the total worth
of these coins is K42.50, find the number of coins of each denomination.

By Mr Chinyama KJ 2 0 2 4 0971887395
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19. A man travels 100km partly by car and partly by cycle. If he covers 60km by car and
rest by cycle, it takes him 3 hours. But if he travels 30km by car and rest by cycle, he
takes an hour longer. Find the speed of the car and that of the cycle.
20. A train covered a distance at uniform speed. If the train would have been 10 km/hr
faster, it would have taken 4 hours less than the scheduled time. If the train were
slower by 10 km/hr, it would have taken 6 hours more than the scheduled time.
Find the length of the journey.

By Mr Chinyama KJ 2 0 2 4 0971887395